US Border Wall Construction Diverts $7.2 Billion Defense Budget...Both Democrats and Republicans Criticize

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As the U.S. government plans to reallocate an additional $7.2 billion (approximately 8.3383 trillion KRW) of defense funds for the construction of the border wall being built along the Mexico border, criticism has arisen not only from the opposition Democratic Party but also from the ruling Republican Party. There are ongoing concerns that this reallocation of the defense budget is delaying the construction of urgent domestic and overseas military facilities for the U.S. armed forces.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 14th (local time), the Trump administration is reportedly planning to reallocate $7.2 billion from the Department of Defense budget this year for the border wall construction. This amount is more than five times the $1.4 billion allocated by the U.S. Congress for the border wall in the 2020 fiscal year. The Trump administration is said to be reallocating $3.5 billion from the Department of Defense’s drug enforcement program budget and $3.7 billion from the military construction budget, totaling $7.2 billion for the border wall budget.

The U.S. Congress, including both the Democratic Party and the ruling Republican Party, is strongly opposing this move. Democratic Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Armed Services Committee, criticized, "This is an insult to the military and to Congress," adding, "Politics is being prioritized over national security." Republican Senator Richard Shelby also stated, "I support the wall construction, but I hope the funding comes from sources other than the defense budget." There are concerns that the reallocation of part of the defense budget to the border wall construction will cause significant setbacks to the U.S. military’s domestic and overseas construction plans.

According to WP, last year as well, $3.5 billion from the military construction budget was reallocated to the border wall construction, resulting in cuts to reconstruction costs for military facilities and schools within bases in Puerto Rico, which had been damaged by Hurricane Maria. Military funding support to European Union (EU) countries in response to Russia’s forced annexation of the Crimean Peninsula also decreased by more than $700 million.